Combined controlling device for steering and stabilizing aircraft



Sept. 1 3, 1932.

' M. DE BIERNARDI 1,877,498

COMBINED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR STEERING AND STABILIZING AIRCRAFT 5Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 5, 1930 Izv u tar/toll p 1932- M. DE BERNARD]1,877,498

COMBINED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR STEERING AND STABILIZING AIRCRAFT FiledNov. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ,ZI, alefiennwrci 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 P 1932-M. DE BERNARD] COMBINED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR STEERING AND STABILIZINGAIRCRAFT Filed Nov. 5. 1950 Patented Sept. 13, 1932 I UNITED STATESPATENT? OFFICE.

COMBINED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR STEERING AND STABILIZING- AIRCRAFTApplication filed November 5, 1930, Serial No. 493,662, and in ItalyFebruary 21, 1930,

it It is known that for steering an aircraft aircraft with my inventionapplied thereto,

during the flight controlling means must. be Fig. 2 is a front view ofthedevice at disposal for the horizontal rudder, the -F g.3asidev1eW, Iv v vertical-rudder and ailerons. 1 a F ig. 4: a-section on line aa ofbig. 2,

In order to simplify the workof the pilots Fig. a detail of the groovedpulleys with single controlling organs have been 'sug-. the aileronoperating cables placed thereon, gested or-iisedv capable of threedifferent F 1g. 6 1S a similar view as Fig. 5 showing movements eachcorresponding to one of the the gIQOVed pulleys with the steering ruddercontrols above mentioned. P I- Ag Cable p a ed thereon,

The result has been to diminish the numg- 1S a V of grooved P y 'Wlthher of controlling organs but the number of the Wheel like operatmgCable P Q there niovementshas not decreased, nor has the on,inconvenience been prevented that in the an enlarged Scale and of twocontrolling Operations which tical section the assemblage of the groovedshould be effected at the same time in con- P y and locking member ofdevicecordancc and proportionately to each other, F 18 Seen Fthese-figures, y llmproved one of said operations, owing to error,neglidevlce comprises fluee'grooveg P l s 1 gence or inexperience isforgotten, executed 3 mounted common t i in opposite sense or notproportionately to the Shaft are s fixedly mounted m 16 S otherOperation 5 and 6 with which engage one or more The Object of thisinvention is to remove sprocket chains 7 or other equivalent means saidinconvenience the work of the pilot beconnected to other geflrs 8 and 9carried in ing Simplified by reducing the number of turn with thesupporting shaft 10 of the con- 0' o movements and combining thesemovements trolhnb handwheel Pulleys 1 and 2 are fixed on the shaft 4 ,75which must be effected in concordance and Whilst p y 3 is o y mountedthereon: proportion (vertical rudder and ailerons) in Puue 1 cable 0eiatin thereabout 12 n.rder.thflt they may take place at the Same overnthe steerin rudder A while the doutimc in concordance with andproportional g b le grooved pulley 2 and cables 13 and 14 to E other;dangers to ollhvloni error trained thereabout control the ailerons B,intexperlence of the ll b thus Whilst the pulley 3 and the cable 15control eluded, In order to attain this end the sinth known b k li d tth h l 0 gle controlling organ according to the invenof supporting car.

tion is arranged in such a way that one of The horizontal rudder D iscontrolled by its movements acts on the vertical rudder and cables 16'connected to a bow 16 rigid With ailerons by moving them at the same timin the rockably mounted horizontal sectional concordance and proportionto each other. hollow shaft 17 Causing, in the known m The work of thepilot is further simplified 9 oscillate liorwarcls and backwards theduring the flight by having at his disposal tlre controllme devlceassemblage} locking means to fix the controlling organs I Sectlons 2 thef 17 mfront oligo in a determined position when the flight has 1 2 2 andi connected. to m been settled, while at the moment of landing l ifi 182?? the sldes g the single controlling device is coupled to the gz fi ifgi gf i i gg control of the carriages brake, this coupling of thecontrolling i g of 5m Steering however beingloose during normal flightand rudder, the pulleys 23 24 25- d 2 f th actmg f thelniomqnt oflaindlngaileron controlling cables 13- and 14, and the My invention Wlllnow be described with ll 27 d 28 fo the wheel brake operreference to theannexed drawings in which ating' abl 15, The said ropes or cables passFig. l is a dial-grammatical plan view of through'the interior of thehollow shaft 17 (ill while in the outer ends of the section of which arejournaled the pulleys 29 and 30 for the cable 12, the pulleys 31 and 32,33 and 34 for the cables 13 and 14 and the pulleys 35 and 36 for thecable 15 respectively.

The cables from the said pulleys are guided by other pulleys suitablydisposed on the body a of the aircraft and connected to the variousparts to be operated (Fig. 1). The said cables are fixed at to theirrespective 2 and 3. To the bracket 18 are fixed the standards formingthe support frame 37 and 38 of the entire system which is protected by asuitably shaped casing 39 connected to the dash .board of the apparatus.

Above and adjacent the pulley 1 there is a cam 40 operated by an arm 41the whole placed on a support 42. The said cam when rotated by arm 41acts gradually by friction on the flanges of the grooved pulley 1 so asto lock the whole system for the above described purpose.

The pulley 3 for the operatlon of the wheel brakes, as above stated, isloose on shaft 4 and provided with a suitable boss 43 adapted to engagean abutment 44 carried'with pulley 2 of the ailerons.

The rotation of the latter from right to left, and vice versa, carriesthe pulley 3 so as to cause to be effected, together with the movementof the ailerons and steering rudder, the necessary ground evolutions ofapparatus and therefor its braking for stopping on the field.

The above described structuraldetails are, of course, only given by wayof example, as it is understood that according to circumstances thedevice may assume other shapes within the scope of the invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be preferred I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. A combined aircraft steering and stabilizing control device forcontrolling the horizontal rudder, the vertical rudder and the ailerons,comprising a rockable horizontal shaft, connections between said shaftand horizontal rudder, a support connected to said shaft and movabletherewith in a vertical plane, an arm provided on said support, a handwheel arranged at the free end of said arm, an axle journalled in thetop of said support, single grooved and double grooved pulleys carriedwith the axle, an operable conpulleys 1,

rudder and the ailerons, the operable connections being such as toeffect uniform and proportional displacements thereby reducing thenumber of controlling movements and preventing errors on the part of apilot from interfering with the proportional movement of the parts.

2. A controlling device as claimed in claim 1 and in combinationtherewith control means for the brakes of the carriage of the airplaneincluding another pulley loosely mounted on the axle, an operableconnection between said pulley and the brakes, and cooperative means onthe brake controlling pulley and the aileron pulley in order that theloose pulley will follow the fixed pulley during rotation of the latter.

K 3. A combined controlling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a camis mounted on the support above and adjacent the steering rudder pulley,an arm for operating the cam in order to effect the gradual friction onthe flange of the pulley for locking the entire device.

4. A combined controlling device as set forth in claim 1, wherein therockable control shaft is hollow and formed in sections, a channel-likebracket connecting the sections together and constituting the lower partof the support, and intermediate pulleys rotatably mounted in thebracket and within the hollow shaft sections for guiding the operableconnections to the ailerons and rudder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

MARIO DE BERNARDI.

nection between the axle and the hand wheel,

operable connections between the single pulley and the vertical rudderand between the double pulley and the ailerons so that upon forward andbackward movement of the hand wheel support the horizontal shaft isoscillated and the horizontal rudder thereby controlled while on turningthe hand wheel the axle carrying the pulleys is also turned regardlessof the position of the support in order to simultaneously control thevertical 7

